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A house that looks something like a bright red shed, located on the Tawharanui Peninsula, was among 11 designs to win a regional award from the New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) in May.
Dubbed Takatu House, by designers RTA Studio, it is located among a small settlement of baches near the beach at the end of a private road.
Perhaps the most unique feature for a newly designed house is that in order to go between the bedrooms, lounge and bathroom, you have to go outside.
“The spaces are divided by function, with living and sleeping pavilions housed under separate gable forms in a subtle reference to rural farm building vernacular,” says lead architect Richard Naish.
“It’s very red, and that’s no perversity,” the NZIA judges said in their statement.
The Resene ‘pioneer red’ colour had been chosen as a nostalgic nod to the site’s original shed and to provide a striking contrast to the green hillside.
This colour is echoed in the kitchen, with red tiling, which is sourced locally from the Middle Earth factory in Warkworth.
The bathroom features similar tiling in green that sits alongside exposed metal plumbing. Pine plywood used for the walls and the cabinetry provides warmth while evoking the feel of a backcountry hut.
